Our Team

Eliot leads a team that bridges between business and policy makers to bring about a more sustainable economy. He is the current Director of The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group, which brings together businesses to work towards a step change in policy and action on climate change, and of the EU Green Growth Platform, which creates a common space for governments, businesses and parliamentarians to collaborate in support of a greener EU economy.

Eliot’s work has a strong focus on climate change, but he also helps drive action on the circular economy, plastics and issues around the social and justice implications of economic change. He represents the Corporate Leaders Group on the board of the We Mean Business Coalition and has been responsible for CISL work that has included collaborations with the World Bank, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UNFCCC, a number of European governments and a wide range of senior business stakeholders

He has nearly 20 years’ experience in working to unlock systemic change, including providing policy analysis around climate action for Save the Children and Christian Aid, leading Christian Aid’s UK lobbying work with parliamentarians and political parties, and working on mobilising grassroots campaigning in locations from Addis Ababa to Birmingham.

Martin joined CISL from the European Climate Foundation, where he was working as Europe Group Co-ordinator. He has also led their Industry and Innovation programme and has a long track record of working on industry, environment and sustainability issues prior to taking up that role in 2015. He is also an expert advisor to the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 on climate and resource issues, a representative on the Economic and Social Committee’s Commission on Industrial Change, a member of UCL’s European Institute Advisory Board and a member of the advisory board to the Sustainable Biomass Programme.

He became a Senior Associate for Cambridge University’s Programme for Sustainability Leadership in 2011 and prior to that developed his public affairs consultancy activities largely in this area, leading advocacy campaigns for a range of blue-chip multinational clients, trade associations and coalitions as he established his career in Brussels through international PR agencies such as Weber Shandwick Worldwide and Edelman PR Worldwide, as well as co-founding Brussels’ first ‘think-do tank’, The Centre.

A European of dual Belgian-British nationality, his interest in the EU began as a student – he gained a first class degree in European Studies (French and Italian, Joint Honours) from the University of Bath, and went on to be awarded a Doctorate from the same institution for a thesis on interest representation in the EU on environmental issues, which focused on the activities around the packaging and packaging waste Directive, the most lobbied piece of legislation in the EU’s history, at the time. As convinced ‘pro-European’, he continues support the UK’s active involvement in the EU.

Aurore joined the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) in May 2017 as Project Coordinator for the EU Office.

Aurore loves travelling and she has had various international experiences before joining CISL. She spent the last three years working as an executive assistant and interpreter for a renowned culinary school in Italy. She holds a degree in Germanic Languages and one in Multilingual Communication.

Serena gained broad international experience both in the public and private sector working as a project officer for interdisciplinary European projects within multicultural teams, focusing on the implementation of EU regional policies, Structural Funds management, institutional and capacity building, local, rural and sustainable development.

Serena worked for the DG AGRI (EC) European Network for Rural Development in Brussels, and as a research assistant for the Evaluation Unit of the Ministry of Economic Development in Rome. She holds an MPhil in Land Economy from the University of Cambridge, and a postgraduate specialisation in local development projects evaluation from the Economics and Finance Ministry School in Rome. Serena is an Italian native speaker, proficient in English and French, and currently learning Spanish.

Sanna Markkanen is a Research Associate working on the H2020 COP21 project: Results and Implications for Pathways and Policies for Low Emissions European Societies (RIPPLES). Her current work focuses on the social implications of climate change mitigation policies.

After completing her PhD in social policy in 2007, Sanna worked as a researcher and lecturer in the UK and Australia. She has extensive and diverse experience of policy evaluation and social policy research. Her previous work has focused on immigration, housing, inequality, deprivation and public health. In recent years, Sanna has carried out research on energy efficiency and the economic impacts of the transition to low carbon economy. She is also affiliated with the Cambridge Trust for New Thinking in Economics.

Annabelle has experience in climate advocacy with responsibilities in project and event management, communications, policy evaluation and consultancy.

Before joining CISL, Annabelle worked for ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, where her experience included supporting events at COP21. Prior to this she completed an internship for the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Natural Park in France where she evaluated its climate policy.

Annabelle holds an MA in Sustainable Development and a BA in Politics and International Relations.

Ursula Woodburn is a Senior Programme Manager and manages the Brussels office. Her role will be to drive further corporate engagement on the long-term climate strategy and building a sustainable European economy. She will be supporting The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group, the We Mean Business EU Policy Group and the EU Green Growth Platform, which creates a common space for governments, businesses and parliamentarians to collaborate in support of a greener EU economy.

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